Power-transmission mechanism.



Fig@

E. A. HALBLEIB.

POWER TRANSMISSWN MECHANtSM. APPUCAUON HLED MAR.29,1915.

Patented Dec. 28, 1915.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD A. HALBLEIB, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO NORTH EAST ELECTRIC COMPANY, 0F ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

Application led March 29, 1915.

To all whom z't may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD A. HALBLEIB, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Power- Transmission Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to mechanism whereby two rotary members or shafts may be .connected in such a manner that one of them may actuate the other in a given direction of rotation, but with provision for overrunning according as one or the other tends to rotate the faster.

The invention is particularly applicable to engine-starting and electric-generating outfits, such as are commonly employed in connection with internal-combustion engines, and in which a dynamo-.electric machine is used alternatively as a source of power to start the engine, and asa generator to provide current for recharging a storagebattery or energizing electrical apparatus.

In apparatus of the type in question it is common to employ automatically-operating clutches which connect and disconnect the rotary members or shafts and the gearing through which one drives the other, according as one or the other of the rotary members tends to rotate the faster. In a mechanism of the kind in question, when so operating automatically, however, a disadvantage resides in the fact that it does notl make adequate provision for reverse rotationin the engine. In case the engine, is operating, and its operation is then interrupted, the engine, before coming to rest, fre uently back-fires, so that the crank-shalt is given a sudden reverse rotation; and even in thel absence of such back-firing, the 4crank-shaft frequently makes a partial reverse rotation owing to the effect of compression in the enginecylinders. To avoid injury to the mechanism, and also to permit the pistons of the engine to assume, by such partial reverse rotation, an intermediate position. in the cylinders, it is desirable that provision be -made in the power-transmission mechanism to permit such reverse rotation of the engine freely and without strain on the mechanism.

The object of the present invention is to produce a mechanism of the kind in question which shall, in general, operate auto- Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 28,A 1915.

Serial No. 17,898.

matically by the use of one or more automatic one-direction clutches, but in which the operation of the clutch-mechanism shall be prevented on the occurrence of a reverse rotation in the engine. To this end I employ, in connection with an automatic onedlrection clutch tending to rotatively connect the motor with the engine, a detentdevice which may be moved into and out of operative position, and which, when in operative position, will prevent the automatic action of the clutch. This detent-device may be controlled manually, and is preferably connected with the controller of the motor so that a single manual operation serves both to operate the controller and to throw the detent-device into or out of operation. l

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a partly sectional side-elevation of power-transmission mechanism embodying the present invention, and Fig. 2 is a partl sectional end-elevation looking from le to right in Fig. 1.

The invention is illustrated as embodied in mechanism having the same general arrangement and construction as that disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 1,101,539, granted to the applicant June 30, 1914. It com rises two coaxial rotary members or sha ts vwhich may be connected, respectively, with the crank-shaft of a dynamo-electric machine or motor. As

shown in Fig. 1, the engine-'connected member is a hollow shaft 5 on which is keyed a sprocket-wheel 6. This sprocket-wheel may be connected with the crank-shaft of an engine by means of a sprocket-chain, in the usual manner. The shaft 5 is mounted in ball-bearings 7, supported in a casing 9 which incloses the gearing and clutchmechanism.

The motor-connected rotary member is in the casing 9. c

Vno

A gear-train is employed to connect the shafts 10 and 5 during the engine-starting operation. For this purpose the shaft 10 has a round part 16 upon which a pinion 17 is loosely mounted. This pinion meshes with a gear 18 which turns on a shaft 19 fixed in the gear-casing. vIntegral with the gear 18 is a pinion 20 which meshes with an annular' gear 21. The gear 21 is connected with the shaft by a roller-Wedge frictionclutch. This clutch Vcomprises rollers 22 which work in inclined recesses in an inner clutch-member 23. This inner clutch-member is an integral enlargement or shell at the right-hand end of the shaft 5, as shown in Fig. 1. lVhen the gear 21 rotates in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 2 the rollers Wedge between the clutch-member` 23 and the smooth inner surface of the gear 21, so that the gear can drive the clutch-member 23 and the shaft 5.

In order that the pinion 17 may be driven by the shaft a shifting clutch-member 24 is employed, this member being mounted upon screw-threads 26 on the shaft 10. A friction-ring is mounted in a groove in the clutch-member 24, and engages the inner surface of the part 23 on the shaft 5, and when the shaft 10 is rotated by the motorgenerator in the direction of rotation indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2 the frictional drag upon the clutch-member 24 causes the screw-threads to draw this member to the right. This shifting movement of the clutch-member causes a series of clutch-teeth 27 on its right-hand end to be engaged with corresponding clutch-teeth 28 on thc pinion 17, thus coupling the pinion with the shaft 10 and permitting the motor-generator to start the engine by power transmitted through the speed-reducing gearing to the engine-connected shaft 5.

When the operation of the engine begins the shaft 5 overruns the shaft 10, and the frictional drag upon the clutch-member 24, through the ring 25, causes this clutch-member to be moved along the shaft 10 in a lefthand direction, by the screw-threads 26,..-

The periphery of the clutch-member 24 is conical, as shown in Fig. 1, and when it reaches its eXtreme left-hand position it engages a corresponding conical surface on the inside of the clutch-member 23, and thus the shafts 5 and 10 are coupled'together frictionally, so that the shaft 5 can drive the shaft 10 and the armature-shaft of the motor generator directly, that is, without actlng` through' the gear-connections.

he clutch-mechanism of the apparatus, in so far as it has been described, is substantially similar to that of the power-transmission mechanism disclosed in an application filed on behalf of the present applicant May 28, 1913, Serial No. 770,545, and, there- .E fore, the features of construction so far described are not claimed herein. It will be apparent, however, that the shifting clutchmember 24, whenever a reverse rotation occurs in the engine-connected shaft 5, tends to move to the right and thus couple the shaft 10 with the pinion 17, and at this time the roller-wedge clutch will be effective, so that if the clutch-member 24 is permitted to shift in this manner the reverse rotation of the engine will be transmitted to the shaft 10, and as it is transmitted through the gearing it will be multiplied, so that the mechanism will tend to impart a sudden reverse rotation at high speed to the armature-shaft of the motor-generator. To guard against this I provide, in accordance with the present invention, a detent-device in the form of an arm 29, of which the lower extremity is normally in position to engage an annular surface 30 at the right-hand face of the clutch-member 24. So long as this detent-member remains in operative position it is impossible for the clutch-member to shift upon the shaft 10 sufficiently to engage the clutch-teeth on the pinion 17, but this detent device does not prevent the clutch-member 24 from coupling the shafts together to permit the engine to drive the motor-generator.

YVhen it is desired to employ the apparatus for starting the engine it is necessary to remove the detent-device from operative position. Accordingly, the arm 29 is mounted on a rock-shaft 31, which is journaled in the gear-casing 9, and a spring 32 coiled about this shaft holds the detent-arm normally in operative position, as shown in Fig. 2. To permit it to be thrown out of operative position, however, it is connected with manually-operable mechanism, and to simplify the operation of the apparatus this mechanism is the same as that employed to actuate the electric switch by which the operation of the motor-generator is controlled. Upon the top of the gear-casing 9 a switch-casing 33 is mounted, and a shaft 34 is journaled vertically in this casing. This shaft is employed to actuate the electric switch inclosed within the casing 33, but as that switch constitutes in itself no part of the present invention its construction is not illustrated and described herein. The shaft 34 is provided, at its upper end, with an arm 35 to which a rod 36 is pivoted, and this rod is provided with a button 37 which may be manually operated to rock the shaft 34 when the engine is to be started. At the lower end of the shaft 34 a cam 38 is fixed, and this cam engages a roller 39 mounted on the arm 2.9. Accordingly, when the button 37 is pulled to operate the 'starting switch, the cam 38 rocks the detent-arm 29 out of operative position, thus permitting the clutchmember 24 to shift into engagement with the pinion 17 while the motor-generator operates as a motor to start the engine.

For convenience in assembling and adjusting the mechanism an indicator' 40 is fixed on the detent-arm 29 directly beneath an opening in the gear-casing which is closed by a screw-plug 41. When this plug is removed the indicator 40 is visible through the opening, and thus the position of the detentarm is indicated, so that the setting of the cam 38 may be conveniently performed While the switch-casing is in position.

lVhile the invention may be employed, as above described, in connection with powertransmission mechanism including speed-reducing gearing operable when the engine is started, such gearing is not essential to the invention, and it will also be apparent that the invention may be employed in connection With a motor other than electric, or With a motor Which does not perform the further function of a generator. In general, the invention is not limited to the embodiment thereof hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, but may be embodied in various other forms Within the nature of the invention as it is defined in the following claims.

l. The combination of an engine-connected rotary member; a motor-connected rotary member; connections, ybetween said members, including an automatic one-direction clutch tending to rotatively connect said members when the motor-connected member rotates faster, in a forward direction, than the engine-connected member; and a detentdevice for restraining the clutch from operation, said device being movable out of operative position to release the clutch when the engine is to be actuated by the motor.

2. The combination of an engine-connected rotary member; a motor-connected rotary member; connections, between said members, comprising a clutch-member shiftable axially into position to rotatively connect said rotary members, the clutch-member tending to so shift automatically when the motor-connected member rotates, in a forward direction, faster than the engineconnected member; and a detent-device for restraining the clutch-member from operation, said device being movable out of operative position, to release the clutch, when the engine is to be actuated by the motor.

3. The combination of an engine-connected member; a motor-connected rotary member; connections, between said members, including an automatic one-direction clutch tending to rotatively connect said members when the motor-connected member rotates faster, in a forward direction, than the engine-connected member; a controller for the motor; a detent-device for restraining the clutch from operation; and manually-operable means for cordinately operating the motor-controller, to start the motor, and releasing the clutch from the operation of the detent-device.

In testimony whereof, l affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD A. HALBLEIB.

Witnesses:

L. THON, C. W. CARROLL. 

